GOD DOESN'T WANT ORDINARY PEOPLE...

to stay ordinary. You've heard it said, "God uses ordinary people." Moses was not good at public speaking. Abraham lied about his wife. David committed adultery. God used Rahab a prostitute. Jesus hung out with sinners. But often, too much empahsis is placed on these people being "ordinary." Yes, that's how they started. For many of them there wasn't anything really special about them, but they were available to God. Once He got involved, these people became extraordinary! The great leaders in our faith may have started out as ordinary men and women, but they did not stay that way. The rose up and accomplished great things for the Kingdom of God. So I guess I'd try to encourage you to understand that you don't have to be anyone special to be used by God. But if you let Him use you, you won't be ordinary. You'll be a child of THE KING!

HE'S A WAY BETTER PREACHER THAN ME...

and his name is Rob Bell. I take comfort in the fact that he's a way better preacher than most of us. I just wanted to encourage you to check out his messages on iTunes. Search for Rob Bell and you'll find a podcast for Mars Hill Church from Grand Rapids, MI. He's a great orator and he beautifully expresses the truths of scripture. (NOTE: if you attend Valley Fellowship Church - you probably will hear some of his ideas being retold, because they are so good, they ought to be shared)

Also, I'm sorry for not posting this on Monday, but I had to make a rush trip to Sedalia, MO at the last minute. My grandma went to see Jesus this weekend and therefore, I got to see my entire family as we celebrated her new awakening!

DON’T BE THE NAKED GUY…

I’m a member at the local fitness club and I’ve discovered something interesting. In the locker room I’m given the opportunity to witness other men’s hygiene and routine for getting showered and cleaned up for the day. But last week was the most interesting.

I walked into the locker room to immediately see a man, probably in his late thirties, standing in front of a mirror, near the entrance to the locker room, naked and combing his hair. I know that in a locker room, there will be other naked men, but generally there is a degree of modesty where you don’t expose yourself unnecessarily and not for a lengthy amount of time. But this guy showed no concern for this unwritten code and considered combing his hair to be of greater importance than covering himself.

Honestly, I immediately thought that this was a prime example of someone having their priorities out of line. He honestly thought it was more urgent that he fix his hair than that he cover his (out of shape) body. I think that this concept is so true for all of us in life, that at times we get our priorities out of line and waste time focused on relatively unimportant details, when our weaknesses are exposed for everyone to see.

So let me challenge you to take time this week to prioritize what is truly important, and don’t be the naked guy.

TODAY'S CHURCH HAS IT BACKWARDS

Yesterday was Easter. It's the one of the most highly attended serves each year for churches across America. It is one of the days with the most visitors, most seats filled with non-believers (or people who's faith is not evidenced in their local church involvement). It is a day that many churches target these visitors. There entire service can become about reaching those people. And this way of thinking has affected the way many church leaders function on all of the other Sundays of the year. Churches are often driven by the "seekers." Our weekly services have become "seeker sensitive," if not "seeker driven." Sunday's are all about those people who don't consider the church as a priority, nor their center for spiritual direction. It is about the "lost."

So what is there for the believers? What are these churches doing to empower and disciple believers? In some churches there is a separate "believers'" service. This one to me seems strange - that we would have a service to get you to join us, but once you're in, we show you what it's really like. This boarders on a "bait & switch." Plus, consider that when "seekers" come to visit a church, they are expecting to be out of their comfort zone. They come with expectations to engage in unfamiliar activities and to watch believers as they passionately worship their God.

In other churches, there are small groups. These are usually Bible studies that help to engage people on a deeper level and move them forward in their faith. But I think, THIS IS BACKWARDS, and on a number of levels.

First, the odds of having a lasting powerful impact on someone who is "lost" by making a Sunday service that is sensitive to their desires is slim. The number one issue that the "lost" have with The Church, is being told that they are going to Hell. But really, when we design our services to be about seekers, this is what the message becomes every week. We may not exactly mention "hell" but the point comes through.

Second, people don't change when they see the light, they change with they feel the heat. A person is not going to feel the heat in an unfamiliar environment listening to a stranger talk about a God that he doesn't believe in. But he will "feel the heat" when he sees, first hand, the evidence of a life impacted by God in his neighbor or co-worker.

Third, the number of people who will grace the doors of a church is minuscule to the number of people who will have a conversation with neighbor. And they are much more open to a friend talking about God, than a pastor/stranger.

Therefore, I am convinced that we should begin to move our services back to educating, inspiring, and empowering believers to "go and make disciples" while counting on the "small groups" of neighbors, or co-workers talking about what God is doing in their lives.

I think we need to quit worring about "seekers" because they are already seeking God. They may not have given their lives to Him yet, but they are on their way. We need to focus on those people who would never enter a church. We need to focus on those who are not seeking, and strive to change that. We need a change. I wonder how long until it happens?

STOP PLACING YOUR HOPE IN GOD

What is it to "hope?" It is a wish that a desire in your heart would come true. It is a longing, that you believe might become reality. It is a combination of wanting and believing that something may actually happen. The Bible is clear about hope and also clear about faith. Hebrews says that faith is "being sure of what we hope for." So I say, stop placing your hope in God and start placing your faith in Him. In other words, don't believe that God might answer your prayers, believe that He will. It is OK to have expectations on God. He is faithful.

I have at times thought about something I longed for and believed that God wanted me to have it, and could bless me with it, but wondered if He actually would. My faith has been challenged and pushed to a new level to instead believe that he will. When the scriptures says, "trust in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart," there isn't a "maybe" factor involved.

Consider this, God has expectations on us. He wants us to be faithful, just as He is faithful. If we are both faithful, couldn't we both have expectations on one another? Isn't that what faithfulness is about? If a person is faithful, you know you can count on him. You know what to expect from him. Likewise, God is faithful, so we should know what we can expect from Him. He even tells us to trust in Him, and He will provide.

So if hope is good, faith is better. Let's move beyond hope to faith in God.